Canning Tuna
Canning Tuna at home in a pressure canner is the perfect way to preserve your catch.
Ingredients
- Tuna freshly caught, on ice, if possible
- neutral oil vegetable, soy, cottonseed or water (optional)
- salt optional
Instructions
- Prepare canning jars and a pressure canner before beginning.
- Tuna is easier to cut evenly if partially frozen. Place the tuna fillets in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes to partially freeze, then skin and cut into chunks.
- Fill each jar with filleted tuna (no skin), leaving a 1-inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each pint jar or 1/2 tsp to each half pint (optional).
- Wipe the rims, put on the lids, and screw on the bands to fingertip tight.
- Place the jars in a pre-heated pressure canner with the water warmed to about 140 degrees F. Hot, but not yet simmering.
- Process the jars at pressure for 100 minutes for both pints and half pints. Pressure depends on altitude, see table below in notes.
- Allow the canner to depressurize naturally, then remove the lid carefully.
- Lift out the jars and let them cool completely. Check seals and store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Yield
You'll need about 1 pound of tuna fillets per pint jar, or about 1/2 pound per half pint. This is a raw pack pressure canning recipe, which yields the best quality. There are hot pack instructions for pre-cooked tuna, and I've gone through those in the article. I do not recommend canning pre-cooked tuna, as the quality is inferior.Altitude Adjustments
With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change. Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning tuna:For dial gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
- 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
- 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure
For weighted gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
- Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure